A Matter of Time
by Twisted Schadenfreude
Summary: They'll be glad that in the end, everything was all worth it. Prompts, in accordance to Laxana week.


**An Antidote to Ambrosia**

1. Kiss

One day she'll be sitting in her usual spot, with her legs spread apart in her careless, un-lady like fashion that somehow seems to suit her. She will reach the sixth level of intoxication, and she will begin to babble about the most irrelevantly, absurdly, inappropriately profound things. From an analysis of Lucy's breasts, to the state of Evergreen and Elfman's relationship, to the fact that they always seem to be the guild with the lucky power-ups, she'll stop talking only to take a moment long intake of breath. And then Cana Alberona will resume.

It will annoy the hell out of everyone. In particular, her seatmate for that hour.

Fate always did seem to have it out for Laxus Dreyar.

"Did you know your eyes were orange? Fucking orange! Is that even genetically possible? You're probably adopted."

"I think you're on steroids."

"I'm trying to figure out if your whole Fantasia thing was a cry for help stemming from your shit of a childhood, or if you really just are a dominative psychopath. Haha, dominatrix."

He will lose it when she calls him Pikachu.

When she opens her mouth to speak again, he will abruptly grab her by the shoulders and crash his mouth onto hers. By then, he will probably have had a little too much to drink as well, but that won't matter much. She will respond instantly, sloppily, as her arms snake around his neck and her eyes lull into a close. He will note with no surprise that she tastes like beer, but will come to a horrible epiphany.

Kissing her will be a storm in his mouth, sending lightning shocks down his spine and resonating in heated lurches in the pit of his stomach. She will be as addictive as the alcohol she consumes on a regular basis, and he will hate the foreign feelings of need that arise.

He will bring it upon himself.

With great effort, he'll push her away. He will begin to feel the guild's sudden silence, and the weight of their intense gaping. Natsu's remark of them eating each other will go ignored (at least for a while). Cana will stare at him with an expression he has never seen before. He will struggle to remember if her eyes had always been chocolate brown.

Laxus will panic, and uncharacteristically reach a hand out to her in an attempt to apologize. At the lightest brush of his skin against hers, he will jerk his hand away as if he just put his hand through a fire. He will realize that touching her has suddenly become electricity coursing through his fingertips, and for a very long time, it will frighten him.

"You're the only Dragonslayer without an Exceed, did you know that? That's probably 'cause you're second generation and all, but still, shit –"

Laxus, in relief and strangely, slight disappointment, will vigorously bang his head on the table before him.

And the guild will return to its usual state of anarchy, marking it off to the two being drunk as Dionysus (because that's happened before), and they will all remain oblivious to the development that unfolded at that moment in the history being written every day.

All except Laxus, that is.

* * *

2. Kids

Cana will close her eyes and throw the offending white stick into the trash bin. She'll sob hysterically that she isn't ready, and never will be, and she'll damn his name and swear to never drink again. Laxus will be taken aback when she breaks the news (over a drink, because her resolutions never do seem to last), and his face will turn white as a sheet of paper. But before Cana's heart can break into tiny pieces, he will snatch the keg from her hands and make Mirajane promise to not give her any alcohol –at least for the next nine months. The barmaid will faint.

The guild will be in an uproar, and there will be another round of drinks –none for her, boohoo –and punches being thrown, and Laxus Dreyar will laugh and partake in the festivities, because holy fuck _he's going to be a father. _

The card mage will mope, because she'll be in for months of vomiting, mood swings, weird cravings (and alas, no beer), and it's crazy as hell to realize that something is growing inside of her (something, admittedly, creepily parasitic). But then she'll see her boyfriend (in one hour her fiancée, and in one year her husband) in his happy daze and think to herself, perhaps the baby won't be as messed up after all, and that their procreation will not defy the laws of nature.

Their daughter will be as headstrong and insubordinate as her parents before her. She might wear her mother's sun-kissedskinandhazeleyes, and/or her father's honeyblondehairandsharpnose, and she might curse like a sailor, and drink like there's no tomorrow, and be obsessed with getting stronger and being the strongest, and her mouth might be permanently sewn into a scowl, but she'll be her own. Because while she'll hold shouting matches with Laxus and make Cana cry, she will be a daddy's girl, his lightning bolt, through and through, and momma's little helper.

Their son will be a wildcard, and equally stubborn (because all we need to do is look at their family tree to know why so is so). Whether he's all Laxus –prominentchinandorange eyes – or all Cana –chestnuthairandperfectteeth –or a quarter or a half, he will idolize his parents. He may hide the brokenness of being lost in their shadow behind easy grins, or he might bottle it all inside with self-imposed solitude and lips laced into a straight line. But he will love them, and he will be his father's son, and his mother's favourite ace to play.

In spite of the sleepless nights of rolling out of bed to feed/change/burp their baby, the fact that Cana will still have mood swings when the thing is out, and that she will have stretch marks, they will be happy. Gildarts will be the jovial grandfather content to spoil them, and grin proudly when they've gone and blown something up. There will be a mysterious package never failing to show up at their doorstep on every birthday with Raven Tail's insignia on the tag (and Laxus will always make sure to open it in their backyard alone, because safety first). Makarov will be but a legend, a story to be told before bedtime.

The cradle will be placed by the window, with the shutters open to let moonlight shine on the baby's sleeping face. Mrs Dreyar will marvel at his/her/its serenity, quietly memorizing its features that will no doubt change with time. Mr Dreyar will come up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head in the crook of her neck. They both will stare, in reverence, to the child that is theirs, and theirs alone, excited to let it rule over their lives.

And they'll be glad that in the end, everything was all worth it.

* * *

3. School

Laxus will sit on the edge of his bed, his face cradled in his hands. He will think back to every smile, every laugh, every insult and faraway gaze, sifting through all his memories and trying to find the catalyst for the mess that he will have turned into by that moment. He won't believe that things like that happen overnight.

_Most of Fairy Tail was comprised of orphans. Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Cana had all lost their parents, and had gone to the guild seeking shelter. Makarov rose to the occasion and gave them the home that they needed. However, in committing to a life of magic and adventure, they forfeited any chance of having a normal life, and that included formal education. The third master frowned upon this, and deemed that, if they couldn't have the whole school system thing, they should at least be given the basics. He appointed the older members of the guild to provide them with daily lessons. _

_And, on one fateful day, everyone was unavailable, with most of the adults busy or too drunk to teach. The burden fell on the master's then sixteen year old grandson. He was no scholar himself, and thought teaching snot nosed brats some math a menial task. He had more important things to do, after all, like practice for the upcoming S-Class exams. But his grandfather had personally approached him, and Laxus decided that accepting would show leadership initiative on his part. That would look good if ever he was considered for guild master in the future. _

_It didn't entail much. Makarov dropped the work books off, and pretty much all Laxus had to do was sit there and help them if they found anything difficult. Erza was quiet, as per usual, and diligently set to finish the work at hand. Natsu had somehow managed to burn his fourth work book, and ended up in a scuffle with Gray on the floor. Cana, brows furrowed, was concentrating on what seemed to be a particularly tough problem. _

_Laxus closed his eyes, his headphones snugly warm against his ears. He let obscenely loud heavy metal lull him off to sleep. Until a tap on the shoulder woke him up. Growling, he opened one eye. _

"_I'm done," Erza said, placing her work beside him. "I'm going to go train now."_

_Laxus hummed his response, and she left to go outside. _

"_Erza! Fight me!" Natsu cried as he scrambled after her. _

"_Oi, Flamebrain! We aren't even done yet," Gray said. The little Dragonslayer moaned, and looked at Laxus pleadingly. That expression had no effect on the older boy, though he was too lazy to deal with any shit at the moment. He shooed them away, and the two ran outside to fight some more. _

_Laxus slouched more comfortably into his chair, resting up for another mission he planned to take later, when the scratchy sound of pencil on paper disturbed him. _

"_Aren't you going to go out, like them?" Laxus asked gruffly. The brunette shook her head._

"_I'm almost done. This part is just kinda tricky."_

"_You know, I don't think anyone even checks those."_

"_You're supposed to, you know," Cana retorted. He chuckled. Out of the kids, Cana was the one he spoke most often to (yelling at Natsu didn't count). She could hold decent conversation, and she wasn't naïve or stupid. She didn't mind the cursing, and was pretty open about things. Except for the days where she moped despondently –which he noticed were timed according to Gildart's visits –Cana was an okay little girl. _

_Laxus leaned forward. "Which part is tricky?" Cana showed him, and they worked through the problems together. Laxus managed to show her the answer without doing so directly, and she figured most of it out on her own. He admired the way this plucky kid would stubbornly refuse to move on to the next problem if she hadn't figured out the one she was on. She was clever, and resolute. Those were good qualities to have as an adult. _

_After checking her work –just a few points away from a perfect score –he told her that she could go. She stood up. _

"_I'm going outside. Are you coming?" she asked. He shook his head, gesturing to the three (well, two, since Natsu's was burnt to a crisp) books he still had to check. She nodded, and set out the door. Half-way to the door, she turned around and beamed at him. _

"_Thanks, Laxus." He grinned back and watched her skip merrily out the door. _

Laxus will lie in his bed, and wonder if sixteen year old him had any idea that one day, he would fall desperately, madly in love with that scrawny brunette kid who needed help solving her math problems.

* * *

4. Family

Gildarts Clive will stand five feet away from his arch nemesis, Ivan Dreyar. His mouth will go dry, his eye will twitch, and he will raise an accusing finger at the criminal.

"What is this fucker doing here?" Gildarts will screech.

"It's perfectly lovely to see you again as well, bastard," the master of Raven Tail will sneer. Around his wrists will be bands supressing his magic power, ensuring that he won't try anything suspicious.

The setting will be at Cana and Laxus's apartment, with the two standing in the living room across both ends of the coffee table as Makarov sits on the couch, highly amused. The rivalry these two have predates to before Gildarts was Fairy Tail's most powerful, before Ivan turned to the shadows.

The brunette will touch her father's forearm to placate him. "C'mon, Pops. It's Christmas. Let's just go eat, m'kay?"

Gildarts, revered, renowned, and highly feared by most, will sigh and comply, for he will forever remain a sucker for his daughter's pleading eyes, so like her mother's. He'll give Ivan one last menacing growl before allowing himself to be lead to the dining area.

The blond will come up behind his father and place a firm hand on his back. "Let's go, Old Man," he'll say gruffly, giving his father a slight push in the right direction. Ivan will shrug his shoulder away and feign a disgusted look at his son, before following after Gildarts alone. Laxus will sigh in annoyance, before beckoning his grandfather with a nod of his head. Fairy Tail's master, soon to be retiring, will hobble over to the Lightning Dragonslayer. Laxus will reach a hand out to his elbow to steady him, and Makarov will accept this, because he's just getting older by the second.

Makarov will sit at the head of the table, with Laxus on his right and Cana sitting across her boyfriend. Gildarts and Ivan will be placed beside their respective child, meaning that they will have to sit across each other. If looks could kill, both the lovers would be orphans.

It is after dinner, after dessert, and after everyone's had a little to drink that Cana will decide to just go out and say it.

"Dad, Laxus and I are having a baby," she'll blurt out, not daring to meet his eyes. Gildarts will keep chewing and chewing, and when the words final register in his brain, he will stop chewing, and drop his fork. His eyes will widen as if the concept of a child is so foreign to him, and Laxus will be grateful he wore a groin guard in anticipation. Ivan's face will be half delight at Gildart's incredulous expression, half horror because his spawn spawned with _his_ spawn.

"You –you're, you and wait –what?"

"I'm pregnant," she will clarify, and steel herself for the shouting DON'T YOU MAKE ENOUGH JEWELS FOR A GOD DAMN CONDOM.

"I've going to be a grandfather!" the Crash mage will squeal in delight like a child opening a very large Christmas gift. "I'm so happy, this is amazing! I'll bet she'll be a girl, she'll be so gorgeous like you, Cana cakes! And I'll teach her everything I know, this little girl is going to die a virgin if I have anything to say about it –"

"Hold on," Ivan will cut in. "Who says it's going to be a girl? And who says you're going to be the one teaching it? Why, it will be all me, and I'm going to teach him to be the most powerful, destructive force in the world! Of course he'll be used for evil, working for me."

The two will start to bicker again, but it will be better than Cana hoped.

"Just so we're clear, you aren't mad?" she will ask hopefully.

"Mad? Why would I be mad –" the wheels will start to turn in Gildart's head, and then he will arrive at that dreadful epiphany. Cana will have spoken too soon.

"LAXUS DREYAR, I AM GOING TO CASTRATE YOU!" he will say, as he lunges across the table at the blond. Ivan will be dragged into the scuffle, and there they'll have a full blown brawl, with Makarov roaring with laughter and cheers on the side lines.

Cana will place a gentle hand on her stomach. _Look how messed up your family tree is going to be_.

* * *

5. Magic

Laxus has devoted his entire life to finding, harnessing, mastering the most powerful form of magic that could possibly exist. That's what all the travels, and training, and reading –and Laxus positively hates reading –have been for. Because he can admit, he is a greedy, self-righteous, power hungry bastard. Tell him that, and all he'll do is question why that's such a bad thing.

Becoming guild master has been his goal since he could comprehend the simplest of things, could walk and talk. His quest for power was innocent in nature, at least when he was starting out. He wanted to be strong to be good enough to lead Fairy Tail. He wanted to be strong enough to protect the people he cared for, namely everyone in the guild. But first and foremost, what he wanted was to be acknowledged by his father.

He could remember a time when things were alright, when Ivan would let him ride on his shoulders to watch frivolities like parades and such, and the three of them plus his grandfather would go on picnics along the banks of the river. He was happy then. They all were.

But then his mother died, and his father was never the same after that. Laxus couldn't understand what was happening, why mommy wasn't coming back anymore, and why daddy started to shout mean words to everyone, most commonly directed at him. Power became everything for Ivan. It was all that mattered, being steps above his own son.

So though he strived and pushed and really, _really_ tried to be good enough, it still wasn't enough. Proof being that Ivan implanted the dragon lacrima into his son. The process was painful as hell, and the scar across Laxus's eye serves as testimony to that. He didn't smile as much after that.

Laxus's idyllic image of magic had been shattered. All it was then was a stepping stone to ultimate control.

And his naïve desire for strength turned into something more twisted, selfish and dark. It poisoned him, until he was nothing more than a robot spewing the propaganda of the very man he had shunned. It led him to commit unspeakably horrible things, like the whole Fantasia incident, a fiasco of a coup. It was embarrassing as well, to have successfully performed the most powerful spell he knew of, and having it backfire pathetically and reveal his weakness. For a moment, Laxus felt the surge of light rip through his body, and it was exhilarating. That was true magic for him; the sensation of utter invulnerability, and the ability to destroy at the slightest touch. It failed him.

The memories will haunt him many years from now, when he's as old as his grandfather is now. He will wake up in cold sweat, remorseful tears running down his face. He betrayed the trust he had, as a member of the guild, and nearly tore a family apart. How anyone could do that, pit friend against friend, was disgusting. It was inhuman.

Laxus did it. And he will forever hate himself for it.

His definition of magic was lost after his defeat as well, and he spent many months in exile, wondering.

_What is magic, really? What is it for? _

Then after he's returned, after they've lived through the shitty dragon apocalypse and he's actually taken down an enormous beast with scales so rough his hands bled as he punched it, after Fairy Tail is re-established as number one, after they've gone to hell and back, he will know what magic is, truly.

He will realize it after he begins to fall for Cana Alberona.

Falling will be a slow but sure, painstaking process. That, in itself, will be magic.

Piece by piece, he'll figure out that magic is the sway in her hips when she staggers across the bar. It's heavily lidded brown eyes will look up into his orange ones and send shivers down his spine. It's the tilt in her smile, or more precisely, her smirk. It's her puffy red eyes when she cries, when she says she's the most ugly but Laxus will think it's when she's most beautiful. It's the way she will cry out his name during climax, the way she will cry out his name (laced with obscenities) during labour. It's her head resting against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart and realizing that they're in sync.

Laxus will come to the decision that it's either all his training was for nought, or that every little stupid mistake was okay after all of it, because he knows that them together will have been inevitable.

Magic will be Laxus and Cana Dreyar.

* * *

6. Home

"Aren't you glad you came home, Sparky?" she will ask him, rhetorically of course, as they sit in that oh-so-familiar bar.

Since cleaning up the whole time travel mess, Fairy Tail will have taken back their rightful home from Twilight Ogre, thusly making up for all the years that they had tortured, scammed, extorted, and blackmailed those left behind. Laxus will be happy to assist in kicking them out.

At her question, he will look around, see Natsu drop kick Gray into the next century, see Elfman and Evergreen arguing for show but holding hands under the table, see Reedus painting it all with dainty brush strokes. Laxus will turn his head slightly back to face her again.

"Yeah," he'll reply casually, with a shrug and a complacent half-smile. But she will understand the weight of his words, because she's Cana and he's Laxus, and they always have, always will be like that.

At that point in time, he won't be in love with her yet. He won't know that he'll spend many nights lying awake in bed with thoughts of only her, or that he'll punch a hole into his wall out of frustration because he can't tell her how he feels. It would never cross his mind that one day, he'll marry the crazy booze chick, and start a family with her, and argue with her, and make sweet love and whisper sweet nothings into her ear. He won't know it yet.

But he'll know this much; when he thinks of the future, the alcoholic, scantily clad, crazy booze chick is always there in the middle of the picture. Maybe that's why he associates her with home so much. He will notice, in days far away, that home is always wherever he can see the top of her brunette head. It will take a little longer for him to figure out that it's because she is his home. It will have been her all along, and one day he'll laugh about how long it took him to see that.

Exactly now, while he's bruised and battered and bleeding, and about to face down a real dragon, these thoughts will be the last thing on his mind. But it's alright through, because these things will happen eventually.

It's only a matter of time.

* * *

**A/N:** I posted this so late! Anyway, I'm missing one prompt, the AU one. It was originally supposed to be here, but as I was writing it, it grew into something completely different. Stories kind of right themselves sometimes. I'll be posting it separately, at a later date. For this one, I thought it would be fun and a good experience to experiment with future tense. I like experimenting with different styles. I haven't done a second person yet, so expect one coming up later on.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! SPREAD THE LAXANA LOVE. As always, any form of review, be it praise or critique, will be highly appreciated.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.**


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